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Nanoscience

and Nanotechnology
There are spaces in the world too small Los Alamos is a leader in nanoscience Los Alamos already is advancing the
to be seen with even the most powerful and nanotechnology, developing some field of nanoscience through the discov-
optical microscopes, where atoms and of the very theories and tools that have ery that nanocrystal quantum dots can
molecules are measured at the nanoscale made the current revolution possible. provide the necessary performance for
level — lengths from 1 to 100 billionths For example, Los Alamos scientists efficient emission of laser light. These
of a meter. However, the development of recently constructed a novel device for tiny crystals perform over a range of
sophisticated new laboratory techniques “seeing” tiny metal nanoscale particles temperatures, making them suitable for
recently allowed scientists to monitor, by combining sub-wavelength, near-field a variety of applications, and also can be
measure, and manipulate matter at the imaging with broadband interference “tuned” to emit at different wavelengths,
nanoscale level. This ability to precisely spectroscopy that uses the high-intensity or colors. The emission wavelength of a
control atoms and build molecules at illumination produced by an ultrafast quantum dot is a function of its size, so
extremely small length scales holds the laser, that emits pulse durations lasting by making dots of different sizes scien-
promise for unprecedented break- only of a few quadrillionths of a second. tists can create light of different colors.
throughs in healthcare, manufacturing, The technique could help scientists This and other nanophotonics accom-
agriculture, energy, and national security everywhere gain a deeper understanding plishments could pave the way for new
in what some are calling a nanoscience of the largely unseen nanoscale world. applications in computing, communica-
and nanotechology revolution. tions and remote sensing.
Laboratory researchers also have
developed reusable nanosponges,
polymer-based material with nanometer-
sized pores that can absorb and trap
organic contaminants in water. The
sponges can be used for cleaning up oil,
organic contaminants in industrial
settings, organic explosives or organic
chemical spills, especially in water, or for
remediating underground water, all
while decreasing cleanup costs associ-
ated with current technologies.
Using the new imaging technique, Los
Alamos scientists have studied the
collective oscillations of electrons in
individual gold nanoparticles and their
assemblies, which result in periodic
modulations of surface charges, or
surface plasmons. Understanding these
oscillations and their interactions may
have practical applications in the
ultrasensitive detection of chemical and
biological molecules.
Today, Los Alamos has five areas of
focus in the field of nanoscience and
nanotechnology: nano-bio-micro
interfaces; nanophotonics and
nanoelectronics; complex functional
nanomaterials; nanomechanics; and
theory and simulation.
In the future, at least some of the Los
Alamos nanoscience research will take
place under the auspices of the recently
created Center for Integrated
Nanotechnologies, a nanoscience collabo-
ration with Sandia National Laboratories.
Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies
The Center for Integrated Nanotech-
nologies is one of five Nanoscale Science
Research Centers being created by the
U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of
Science.
A partnership between Los Alamos
and Sandia National Laboratories, the
center will operate as a national user
facility devoted to establishing the
scientific principles that govern the
design, performance, and integration
of nanoscale materials. Through its Core
Facility at Sandia and Gateway building
at Los Alamos, CINT will provide open
access to tools and expertise to explore
the continuum from scientific discovery
to the integration of nanostructures into
the micro and macro worlds.
To address the national grand Artist’s concept of the new Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies Gateway at
challenges of nanoscience and technol- Los Alamos National Laboratory
ogy, The Center for Integrated
Nanotechnologies will support five complex, multiple length-scale problems. ics Development Laboratory, and the
scientific areas designed to serve as When fully operational, CINT will consist Integrated Materials Research Labora-
integrated synergistic building blocks. of a Core Facility in Albuquerque, two tory together provide an impressive array
These areas include nano-bio- Gateway Facilities, one at Los Alamos of state-of-the-art fabrication and
microinterfaces, which work to import and another at Sandia National characterization capabilities housed in
biological principles and functions into Laboratories, and access to specialized research laboratories as well as approxi-
artificial bio-mimetic nano- and capabilities within each laboratory. Prior mately 100,000 square feet of clean
microsystems; nanophotonics and to the completion of these new facilities, room space.
nanoelectronics as an effort to develop CINT activities will leverage existing Today CINT is a work in progress. The
the novel and unique properties neces- laboratory capabilities. For example, at baseline budget is now set at $75.8M
sary for the precise control of electronic Los Alamos, the national user programs with a schedule for the beginning of
and photonic wave functions; complex at the Los Alamos Neutron Science facilities construction in March/April of
functional nanomaterials in order to Center and the National High Magnetic 2004 and completion set for October/
promote complex and collective interac- Field Laboratory currently offer oppor- November 2005. Construction of the
tions between individual components in tunities for CINT users to apply neutron CINT Core Facility in Albuquerque and
materials to yield emergent properties scattering and high magnetic field the CINT Gateway to Los Alamos Facility
and functions; and nanomechanics techniques for nanoscale science will occur in parallel with start and finish
as an attempt to increase our under- research. In addition, Los Alamos’ dates occurring within one month of
standing of the underlying mechanisms Bioscience Division provides expertise each other.
of mechanical behavior of nanoscale that spans biochemistry, soft materials,
materials and structures. In addition, chemical synthesis, self-assembly,
CINT will provide theory and simulation spectroscopy, and microscopy. At
research aimed at applying state-of-the- Sandia, the Compound Semiconductor
art computational resources to address Research Laboratory, the Microelectron-

Los Alamos National Laboratory is operated by the University of California for the
U.S. Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration
Public Affairs Office 505-667-7000
2/04 www.lanl.gov

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